Actually, I think it is pretty cool that your vet called you on Sam's weight. A lot of vets won't do that. I am not sure why. Perhaps they don't. want to offend.
Our vet has a full sized poster with photos, in the exam room, explaining various weights from emaciated to morbidly obese. There is a sign saying "Please read this. If you have any questions ask your vet or the tech."
When you're sitting there waiting for someone to see your dog, It's the only thing to read!
Owners can be remarkably resistant to hearing that their beloved pet is "FAT".
We have dogs and cats who are patients of the clinic where I work who are morbindly obese--25 & 26 pound domestic shorthairs who can hardly waddle--with skin problems because they can not groom themselves.
And dog who are sometimes as wide as they are tall. I'd say that probably at least 80% of the pugs (and we have a very large number of pugs as patients) who are over a year old are not just overweight but obese. Labs and Goldens in the larger breeds are the worst offenders.
The owners for the most part don't see it and when it is suggested that the dog needs to lose weight (and John the same poster is present in two of our four exam rooms) the responses are "interesting" to say the very least. The commonest reply is that's just how the breed is built. The second most common reply is that the dog just has heavy bone or that its parents were big dogs.
Sometimes it just breaks your heart. When my fawn dog was a puppy there was a black Dobe puppy who started coming in to see us--he was a nice dog, well socialized but even at 5 months was overweight. He and my dog were about the same age--mine was about 3 weeks older. Owned by a couple--who also had an obese Shelty. By the time the two dogs were 9 months old it was apparent that the Dobe was destined for the same sort of excess weight that we saw in the Shelty. At one point the vet who had just seen the Dobe for a routine annual (at a year) came and asked me to bring Toad out so the owner (the man who always brought the dogs in) could see what his Dobes weight should look like. That puppy at just over a year was also about the same height as my dog but where my dog weighed 82 pounds the black dog was 104 pounds. It didn't get better and the last time I saw him they were just under 2 years--my dog was being shown and had started to pick up his first points--he weighed 87 pounds. The black dog was 120 pounds and looked like a barrel on toothpicks.
Later one of the vets told me that the man had told her that he tried to put both the dogs on a diet but his wife had a fit--the Dobe, she said, was just big bones and his parents were big and the Shelty looked fat but it was just the coat. And still later, after yet another one of the vets had told the man his dog (the Dobe) really needed to take some weight off the wife called the clinic and told that vet if we didn't stop harrassing her husband about the dogs they'd take them elsewhere--they were NOT fat--we didn't know what proper weight looked like.
It was very sad, mostly for the dogs but also for the husband who could see that his dogs needed to lose weight and that his wife was being unreasonable.
But the chart had a big flag on it saying to NOT talk to anyone about the weight of either dog.
The owners for the most part don't see it and when it is suggested that the dog needs to lose weight (and John the same poster is present in two of our four exam rooms) the responses are "interesting" to say the very least. The commonest reply is that's just how the breed is built. The second most common reply is that the dog just has heavy bone or that its parents were big dogs.
And I'll bet the third most common thing you hear is "but I only feed him two cups a day!".
I had someone at the vet one day, and while waiting in our room, I shamelessly eavesdropped on the conversation in the next room...
My vet: "Doggy could stand to lose some weight. What are you feeding him?"
Client: "Well known grocery store brand by major company." (Seriously, I've forgotten the actual food.)
Vet: "Hmmm... how much are you feeding him?"
Client: "He only gets two cups a day."
Vet: "Hang on, I'll be right back."
Vet walks past my room to the back of the clinic, comes back holding an 8 ounce measuring cup, and goes back into the next room.
Vet: "This is one cup."
Client: "Oh, that's a LOT smaller than the cup we use." After a bit more discussion, it turned out they were using a Tupperware-ish container that held more like three cups.
I hope they took the vet's advice, because I saw "Doggy" in the waiting room. Some kind of cute mixed breed who probably should have weighed 15 or so pounds, but weighed more like 30.
compared to all the dogs in my extended family Sam is anorexic.
I am over weight and you could tell the skinny vet had a hard time saying Sam could loose a few LBS and was trying to be totally politically correct and got the look of horror when I said WHAT DO YOU MEAN SAM IS FAT and then snickered.
After she realized I was kidding. She was a new hire at the vet I use and I was fine with her doing the exam as it was just his yearly check up and new heart worm script and shots.
She did say that he should have more of a "cut" where his ribs end if looking down and you should be able to see but not feel his ribs.
Sam hit 2 1/2 and has slowed down from his never ending energy to just being a total spaz 85% of the time and I am sure thats why the weight started going on. I had seen it and wanted to overlook it and I for one am very glad the DR said it just to wake me up.
He is such a handsome dude I would hate for him to become a barrel with 4 stubbie legs.
i could have misunderstood what she said but kind of like looking at a horse you can see the bone structure of the ribs under the skin/muscle/fat but when you rub your hand across it you feel the dent's between the bones but not the bones.
Honestly if a vet says your dog needs to lose 5 lbs it probably means your dog needs to lose 10-15. I see fat dogs all the time at the dog parks, I MEAN FAT!!! GSP that are more round than tall and anymore I think labs just are fat. The bad thing for Dobes is that it makes their heart work harder and we don't want that.
If you scroll down to the bottom of this link it shows what a correct dobe. Looks like from the top (and from the side you should see those last few ribs) it should look like a 20oz coke, if if it looks like a 2 liter you're doing it wrong >
Looking at that last photo I don't disagree, he isn't "obese" but he has a bit of fat. His waist could be more defined. Here's my post in the thread rose linked, I think the third picture here looks best and like where your boy is close to but not at. I'll also agree with Caleb, the usual saying here is that the dog should have a defined waist and ribs should be easily palpable (feel-able) with no more than the last 2 barely visible.
Mabel easily fluctuates between that look and trim just based on her daily activity and food. One week she may need a heaping cup each meal, the next a trim level one.... she's very easy to fatten/skinny up.
Yes, he needs to lose weight, and good for your vet for telling you and good for you for being able to hear it!
Just cut his food back by maybe 1/4 of a cup morning and night for a while and see if that's enough, or if you need to cut more. I like to SEE the last rib on my dogs - I want them lean and fit, not carrying any extra weight, because I don't want any extra stress on joints. At minimum, you should EASILY feel the ribs when you run your hand lightly over your dog.
As others have said, many people don't use an actual measuring cup for food, which blows my mind! I also make sure that I cut food back if I use excessive amounts of treats for training, or add extra special stuff to meals, or whatever. Just little things that can add up
Well after a week of 1/4 cup less food and less snacks/treats
The fat roll above his back hips is about 2/3 gone
He is not to happy about less food but I have to admit now when I put his food down he eats it all not pick at the kibbles all day and I don't think it was to much kibble I think it was all the bites and treats. I don't think I realized how much I was actualy giving him.
Those treats and goodies can certainly add up, and need to be taken into account when planning their daily rations. I think that with all the training treats that Leo got today, she's only going to get about half of her usual dinner.
If he is acting ravenous between feedings (silly dogs LIKE to be fat, I think), you can add green beans (steamed or low sodium/no salt canned) to his kibble to help him feel more full.
I agree your boy neess to lose weight. Probably more like 10lbs. Dogs generally need more calories in the winter vs. The summer also. Mine are looking a little fluffier than they should because of this current heat wave. They just want to hang out in the a/c in my shop. When you look at your dog every day sometimes it's hard to really tell they're gaining weight...
I agree with GK. A reduction in calories consumed and an increase in output.
I am constantly watching the body condition of my dogs and playing with how much food they receive everyday.
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